ISELIN, N.J., Jan. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS) (the “Company”) reported net income of $21.5 million, or $0.34 per basic and diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to net income of $21.2 million, or $0.34 per basic and diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company reported net income of $83.7 million, or $1.33 per basic and diluted share, compared to net income of $73.6 million, or $1.22 per basic and diluted share for the same period last year.

Earnings for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015 were favorably impacted by year-over-year growth in both average loans outstanding and average non-interest bearing deposits, growth in non-interest income and improved asset quality. These factors helped offset the unfavorable impact of compression in the net interest margin.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company incurred non-recurring items associated with the April 1, 2015 acquisition of The MDE Group and the equity interests of Acertus Capital Management, LLC (together “MDE”). During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company had non-recurring items associated with the May 30, 2014 acquisition of Team Capital Bank (“Team Capital”). The year ended December 31, 2014 was further impacted by a non-cash charge resulting from the recognition of a pro rata portion of unrealized losses related to lump sum distributions from the Company's frozen pension plan. Excluding these non-recurring items, core earnings(1) for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015 were $21.5 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, and $84.0 million, or $1.33 per diluted share, respectively, compared to $21.6 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, and $78.3 million, or $1.29 per diluted share for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2014, respectively.

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Martin commented: “Our fourth quarter and full year 2015 results represent record levels in terms of revenues and net interest income for Provident. Fundamental performance remained sound during the quarter, as loans grew at a 7% annualized rate and non-interest bearing deposits continued to increase. We have maintained our credit risk and pricing disciplines while continuing to carefully manage our interest rate risk. Our business and balance sheet are well positioned to generate long-term stockholder value.” Martin continued: “For 2016, we are focused on growth within our core business lines, and strategically positioning Provident as a high-performing financial company with superior operating results and returns.”

Declaration of Quarterly Dividend

The Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per common share payable on February 26, 2016, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 12, 2016.

Annual Meeting Date Set

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on April 28, 2016 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Newark Airport Hotel, Newark, New Jersey at 10:00 a.m. The date of March 2, 2016 was established as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting.

Balance Sheet Summary

Total assets increased $388.3 million, or 4.6% to $8.91 billion at December 31, 2015, from $8.52 billion at December 31, 2014, primarily due to a $452.2 million increase in total loans and a $21.9 million increase in intangible assets, partially offset by a $97.3 million decrease in total investments.

The Company’s loan portfolio increased $452.2 million, or 7.4%, to $6.54 billion at December 31, 2015, from $6.09 billion at December 31, 2014. Loan originations totaled $2.66 billion and loan purchases totaled $95.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. The loan portfolio had net increases of $191.8 million in multi-family mortgage loans, $170.7 million in commercial loans, $110.5 million in construction loans, $20.3 million in commercial mortgage loans and $2.6 million in residential mortgage loans, partially offset by a $45.4 million decrease in consumer loans. Commercial real estate, commercial and construction loans represented 72.1% of the loan portfolio at December 31, 2015, compared to 69.4% at December 31, 2014.

At December 31, 2015, the Company’s unfunded loan commitments totaled $1.15 billion, including $530.6 million in commercial loan commitments, $238.8 million in construction loan commitments and $70.5 million in commercial mortgage commitments. Unfunded loan commitments at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 were $1.20 billion and $1.21 billion, respectively.

Total investments decreased $97.3 million, or 6.0%, to $1.52 billion at December 31, 2015, from $1.61 billion at December 31, 2014, largely due to principal repayments on mortgage-backed securities, maturities of municipal and agency bonds and sales of certain mortgage-backed securities, partially offset by purchases of mortgage-backed and municipal securities.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, intangible assets increased $21.9 million. This increase was related to the acquisition of MDE, partially offset by scheduled amortization.

Total deposits increased $131.5 million, or 2.3%, during the year ended December 31, 2015 to $5.92 billion. Total core deposits, which consist of savings and demand deposit accounts, increased $217.4 million, or 4.38%, to $5.18 billion at December 31, 2015, while time deposits decreased $86.0 million to $739.7 million at December 31, 2015. The increase in core deposits was largely attributable to a $139.9 million increase in non-interest bearing demand deposits and a $115.5 million increase in interest bearing demand deposits. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $28.1 million and $9.9 million in money market and savings deposits, respectively. Core deposits represented 87.5% of total deposits at December 31, 2015, compared to 85.7% at December 31, 2014.

Borrowed funds increased $197.8 million, or 13.1% during the year ended December 31, 2015, to $1.71 billion. Borrowed funds represented 19.2% of total assets at December 31, 2015, an increase from 17.7% at December 31, 2014.

Stockholders’ equity increased $52.0 million, or 4.5% during the year ended December 31, 2015, to $1.20 billion, due to net income earned during the period, partially offset by dividends paid to stockholders and a decrease in unrealized gains on securities available for sale. Common stock repurchases for the year ended December 31, 2015 totaled 108,589 shares at an average cost of $18.32 per share. At December 31, 2015, 3.3 million shares remained eligible for repurchase under the current authorization. At December 31, 2015, book value per share and tangible book value per share(1) were $18.26 and $11.75, respectively, compared with $17.63 and $11.40, respectively, at December 31, 2014.

Results of Operations

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

For the quarter ended December 31, 2015, net interest income increased $413,000 to $63.7 million, from $63.3 million for the same period in 2014. Net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased $11.0 million to $249.9 million, from $238.9 million for the same period in 2014. The net interest income for both comparative periods was favorably impacted by the growth in average loans outstanding and average non-interest bearing demand deposits, mitigating the effects of compression in the net interest margin.

The Company’s net interest margin for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 increased 4 basis points to 3.17%, compared with 3.13% for the trailing quarter ended September 30, 2015. The weighted average yield on interest-earning assets increased 4 basis points to 3.70% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 3.66% for the trailing quarter. The yield on assets and net interest margin for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 were favorably impacted by the accelerated recognition of $1.0 million of deferred income on a loan which prepaid. The weighted average cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 increased 1 basis point to 0.66%, compared to 0.65% for the trailing quarter. The average cost of interest-bearing deposits for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was 0.31%, unchanged from the trailing quarter. The average cost of borrowed funds for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was 1.65%, compared with 1.61% for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

The net interest margin decreased 13 basis points to 3.17% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 3.30% for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. The weighted average yield on interest-earning assets decreased 15 basis points to 3.70% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 3.85% for the quarter ended December 31, 2014, while the weighted average cost of interest-bearing liabilities declined 1 basis point to 0.66% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 0.67% for the fourth quarter of 2014. The average cost of interest-bearing deposits for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was 0.31%, compared with 0.32% for the same period last year. Average non-interest bearing demand deposits totaled $1.17 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with $1.03 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. The average cost of borrowed funds for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 was 1.65%, compared with 1.81% for the same period last year.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, the net interest margin decreased 10 basis points to 3.20%, compared with 3.30% for the year ended December 31, 2014. The weighted average yield on interest-earning assets declined 13 basis points to 3.73% for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 3.86% for the year ended December 31, 2014, while the weighted average cost of interest-bearing liabilities declined 2 basis points to 0.66% for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 0.68% for the same period in 2014. The average cost of interest-bearing deposits for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 0.31%, compared with 0.33% for the same period last year. Average non-interest bearing demand deposits totaled $1.12 billion for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with $959.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The average cost of borrowings for the year ended December 31, 2015 was 1.71%, compared with 1.88% for the same period last year.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income totaled $15.9 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, an increase of $4.5 million, or 39.0%, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2014. Wealth management income increased $2.0 million, to $4.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2014. The increase in wealth management income was primarily attributable to fees earned from assets under management acquired in the MDE transaction. Other income increased $1.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to the same period in 2014, primarily due to a $1.7 million increase in fees recognized on loan level interest rate swap transactions and an increase in net gains recognized on the sale of foreclosed real estate, partially offset by a decrease in net gains on loan sales. In addition, for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, fee income increased $894,000 to $6.8 million, from $5.9 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2014, primarily due to a $374,000 increase in prepayment fees on commercial loans and a $425,000 increase in deposit related fees.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, non-interest income totaled $55.2 million, an increase of $14.1 million, compared to 2014. Wealth management income increased $7.4 million to $16.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, largely due to $7.0 million in fees resulting from assets under management acquired in the MDE transaction, combined with $450,000 of increased fee income from the Company's existing wealth management business. Fee income increased $4.4 million, to $26.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, primarily due to a $2.1 million increase in prepayment fees on commercial loans, a $1.3 million increase in deposit related fees and a $710,000 increase in ATM and debit card revenue. Also contributing to the increase in non-interest income, other income increased $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014, principally due to a $2.8 million increase in net fees recognized on loan level interest rate swap transactions, partially offset by a $528,000 decrease in net gains recognized on loan sales and a non-recurring $486,000 net gain recognized on the prepayment of FHLB borrowings acquired from Team Capital in the prior year. Net gains on securities transactions for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased $403,000 as compared to 2014.

Non-Interest Expense

For the quarter ended December 31, 2015, non-interest expense increased $5.1 million, to $47.4 million compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2014. Compensation and benefits expense increased $4.0 million to $26.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to the three months ended December 31, 2014, largely due to an increase in the accrual for incentive compensation and increases in salary expense associated with the addition of former MDE employees, annual merit increases and increased employee medical and retirement benefit costs. These increases in compensation and benefits expense were partially offset by $400,000 of non-recurring severance and retention expenses associated with the Team Capital acquisition incurred in the prior year quarter. Other operating expenses increased $1.2 million to $8.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to $6.8 million for the same period in 2014, primarily due to valuation adjustments on foreclosed real estate, an increase in consulting expense and an increase in personnel recruitment expense, partially offset by a decrease in legal fees. In addition, data processing expense increased $193,000 to $3.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to $3.1 million for the same period in 2014, principally due to an increase in core processing costs, partially offset by $336,000 of non-recurring core system contract termination costs related to the Team Capital acquisition recorded in the 2014 quarter. Net occupancy costs decreased $199,000, to $6.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to the same quarter in 2014, due to a decrease in facilities and equipment maintenance expense.

The Company’s annualized core non-interest expense as a percentage of average assets (1) was 2.13% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 1.96% for the same period in 2014. The efficiency ratio (core non-interest expense divided by the sum of net interest income and core non-interest income) (1) was 59.57% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared with 55.73% for the same period in 2014.

Non-interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $180.6 million, an increase of $10.6 million from the year ended December 31, 2014. Compensation and benefits expense increased $7.5 million to $99.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to the year ended December 31, 2014, due to increased salary expense associated with new employees from both Team Capital and MDE, additional salary expense associated with annual merit increases, an increase in the accrual for incentive compensation and an increase in employee medical benefits expense, partially offset by lower stock-based compensation, severance and pension costs. The decline in pension costs was largely due to the $1.3 million lump-sum pension distributions made to vested retired employees in 2014. Net occupancy costs increased $2.1 million, to $26.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to same period in 2014, principally due to additional costs related to facilities acquired in the Team Capital acquisition and increased depreciation expense. The amortization of intangibles increased $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with the same period in 2014, primarily due to increases in both the core deposit intangible and customer relationship intangible amortization related to the Team Capital and MDE acquisitions, respectively. Other operating expenses increased $1.1 million to $28.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $27.7 million for the same period in 2014, primarily due to valuation adjustments related to foreclosed real estate, and increases in business development and personnel recruitment expenses. Partially offsetting these increases in non-interest expense, data processing costs decreased $969,000 to $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with the same period in 2014, principally due to $2.4 million of non-recurring core system contract termination costs related to the Team Capital acquisition in 2014, partially offset by increased software maintenance costs and telecommunication expenses. Additionally, advertising and promotion expense decreased $782,000 to $4.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $5.0 million for the same period in 2014, largely due to post-merger promotional activities within the former Team Capital marketplace incurred in the prior year.

Asset Quality

The Company’s total non-performing loans at December 31, 2015 were $44.5 million, or 0.68% of total loans, compared with $39.6 million, or 0.62% of total loans at September 30, 2015, and $53.9 million, or 0.88% of total loans at December 31, 2014. The $4.9 million increase in non-performing loans at December 31, 2015, compared with the trailing quarter, was due to a $6.1 million increase in non-performing commercial loans, a $254,000 increase in non-performing construction loans and a $156,000 increase in non-performing residential loans, partially offset by a $1.5 million decrease in non-performing commercial mortgage loans, a $106,000 decrease in non-performing multi-family loans and a $78,000 decrease in non-performing consumer loans. The increase in non-performing commercial loans was attributable to one relationship that was current as to principal and interest payments at December 31, 2015 and is adequately secured by commercial real estate. At December 31, 2015, impaired loans totaled $50.9 million with related specific reserves of $2.3 million, compared with impaired loans totaling $67.9 million with related specific reserves of $2.4 million at September 30, 2015. At December 31, 2014, impaired loans totaled $85.4 million with related specific reserves of $7.1 million.

At December 31, 2015, the Company’s allowance for loan losses was 0.94% of total loans, compared to 0.94% at September 30, 2015, and 1.01% of total loans at December 31, 2014. The decline in the loan coverage ratio from December 31, 2014, resulted from an overall improvement in asset quality. The allowance for loan losses decreased $310,000 to $61.4 million at December 31, 2015, from $61.7 million at December 31, 2014. The reduction in the allowance for loan losses was a function of an improvement in the weighted average risk rating of the loan portfolio and a decline in non-performing loans. The Company recorded provisions for loan losses of $1.3 million and $4.4 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015, respectively, compared with provisions of $1.3 million and $4.7 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2014, respectively. For the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015, the Company had net charge-offs of $290,000 and $4.7 million, respectively, compared with net charge-offs of $2.8 million and $7.6 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2014.

At December 31, 2015, the Company held $10.5 million of foreclosed assets, compared with $5.1 million at December 31, 2014. Foreclosed assets at December 31, 2015 consisted of $5.2 million of residential real estate, $5.1 million of commercial real estate and $274,000 of marine vessels. Total non-performing assets at December 31, 2015 declined $3.9 million, or 6.6%, to $55.1 million, or 0.62% of total assets, from $59.0 million, or 0.69% of total assets at December 31, 2014.

Income Tax Expense

For the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015, the Company’s income tax expense was $9.4 million and $36.4 million, respectively, compared with $10.0 million and $31.8 million, for the same periods in 2014. The Company’s effective tax rates were 30.4% and 30.3% for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015, respectively, compared with 32.0% and 30.2% for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2014, respectively. The decreases in income tax expense and the effective tax rate for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, were primarily attributable to a $639,000 charge in the fourth quarter of 2014 related to a change in the utilization of certain deferred tax assets resulting from the apportionment of income to the state of Pennsylvania. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the increases in income tax expense and the effective tax rate were a function of growth in pre-tax income, with a greater portion of income derived from taxable sources.

About the Company

Provident Financial Services, Inc. is the holding company for The Provident Bank, a community-oriented bank offering "commitment you can count on" since 1839. The Provident Bank provides a comprehensive array of financial products and services through its network of branches throughout northern and central New Jersey, as well as Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania. The Bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company.

Post Earnings Conference Call

Representatives of the Company will hold a conference call for investors at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, January 29, 2016 regarding highlights of the Company’s financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2015. The call may be accessed by dialing 1-888-336-7149 (Domestic), 1-412-902-4175 (International) or 1-855-669-9657 (Canada). Internet access to the call is also available (listen only) at www.providentnj.com by going to Investor Relations and clicking on Webcast.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods, or by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “may,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “continue,” or similar terms or variations on those terms, or the negative of those terms. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those set forth in Item 1A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented by its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and those related to the economic environment, particularly in the market areas in which the Company operates, competitive products and pricing, fiscal and monetary policies of the U.S. Government, changes in government regulations affecting financial institutions, including regulatory fees and capital requirements, changes in prevailing interest rates, acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses, credit risk management, asset-liability management, the financial and securities markets and the availability of and costs associated with sources of liquidity.

The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date made. The Company advises readers that the factors listed above could affect the Company's financial performance and could cause the Company's actual results for future periods to differ materially from any opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods in any current statements. The Company does not have any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement.

Footnotes

(1) Core earnings, tangible book value per share, return on average tangible equity, annualized core non-interest expense as a percentage of average assets and the efficiency ratio are non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to the Notes on pages 10 and 11 which contain the reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures and the associated calculations.

PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition

December 31, 2015 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2014

(Dollars in Thousands)

Assets

December 31, 2015

December 31, 2014

Cash and due from banks

$

100,899

$

102,484

Short-term investments

1,327

1,278

Total cash and cash equivalents

102,226

103,762

Securities available for sale, at fair value

964,534

1,074,395

Investment securities held to maturity (fair value of $488,331 at December 31, 2015 (unaudited) and $482,473 at December 31, 2014)